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Report Outlines Measures for Safer Highway 6

A recent document outlines possible safety measures following two public meetings held by the Bruce Peninsula Safe Communities Committee.

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What would it take to have a safe Highway 6 on the Bruce Peninsula?

That's the question put forth in a recent document put together following two public meetings held by the Bruce Peninsula Safe Communities Committee.

At issue, the growing problem of speed along the Highway 6 corridor which have resulted in 4 fatalities this year and numerous tickets and charges issued by Provincial Police.

In fact, the last 5 years have seen a significant increase in the number of charges laid, from 9 in 2015, to 44 in 2016 and last year 30 charges laid.

Terry Bell is Chair of the Bruce Peninsula Safe Communities Committee (and retired OPP Officer), and he says there are so many people using the highway that have never used it before, tourists unfamiliar with the road.

Combine that with poor judgement and excessive speed, and you have a recipe for disaster.

"....and just poor judgement, and I think maybe frustration at the traffic volume where people are going to attempt to pass four or five vehicles at a time and take that chance when they're really not that familiar with the road," says Bell.

The group is looking at not only beefing up the police presence but also the possibility of installing additional signage (with the help of the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario) and launching an online presence through Social Networking.

"That's going to let everybody know, you know what, if you're coming up to the peninsula for your vacation, be very careful because there's zero tolerance on that road," adds Bell.

There's also the human factor, one of loss, that will hopefully help drive the message home.

At the end of the day, bolstering the police presence, adding more signage and creating a zero tolerance approach may help make Highway 6 a safer road for all.